Mark Penn: Strenghts of Hillary Emerging

The public polls taken following last week’s Democratic debate in New Hampshire are now being reported on.

Hillary’s strength as a leader is emerging in the face-to-face forums and in that debate. Today’s WMUR/CNN poll is the second post-debate poll to give Hillary a commanding lead in New Hampshire – at 39% for Hillary Clinton to 24% for Obama and 14% for Edwards.

Hillary Clinton is up 9 points from their previous poll and this trend follows a Franklin Pierce poll done earlier in the week that had similar results and which showed her as overwhelmingly winning the debate.

What makes this so important is that when the candidates are on the same stage, Hillary Clinton’s strengths as a leader clearly emerge. They are reshaping the dynamic of the race because those appearances emphasize the qualities that the next president will need to be ready to implement a program of change.